North Port Man Indicted for Stealing Firearm from Firearms Dealer
FORT MYERS, Fla. — U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging James Michael O’Brien ,48, of North Port, with theft of a firearm from a firearms dealer and possession of a stolen firearm. If convicted, O’Brien faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count.
According to the indictment, on Jan. 17, O’Brien stole a firearm from J&J One Stop Gun Shop in Port Charlotte, a federal firearms licensee.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Morgan.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make out neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
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